'They're crying': Tim Tebow unveils new effort to combat child sexual abuse
WASHINGTON — Abused children are waiting to be rescued, declared retired football star Tim Tebow as he read aloud messages from sex offenders bragging about their preferences for children or having exploitative content of babies on their computers.
One sex offender asked what the others were into, and another replied that he had a preference for children ages 5 to 9. Another offender wrote that he has a daughter he would love to share with the others, while another admitted that he had 20 terabytes of baby rape videos that he was willing to sell.
The former Heisman Trophy winner read chatroom posts from sex offenders to help people understand the threat predators pose to children during a press conference on Capitol Hill this week to introduce a bill to fight exploitation.
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"When I read that chat, it hurts," Tebow said. "And I mourn and grieve a little bit when I read it, but I also have hope. Because I know that we're able to bring a piece of the solution here today. And, unfortunately, many times, people with the goal to do evil work better than people with the goal to do good. I say that today with a heavy heart, but you know, I also believe here today that people with the goal to do good are working together in an incredible way."
The former NFL quarterback and professional baseball player joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers Tuesday outside the U.S. Capitol to unveil the Renewed Hope Act of 2024.
The legislation would enhance the ability of U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to rescue exploitation victims and identify predators. The measure aims to provide the agencies with the resources to hire and train personnel and equip them with advanced victim identification methods.
The bill was introduced by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut in the Senate and Reps. Laurel Lee and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida in the House of Representatives.
"And why would we not have the best training in the world?" Tebow asked. "Our boys and girls should matter that much to us."
The former NFL quarterback and college football analyst founded the Tim Tebow Foundation and has dedicated his time to advocating for vulnerable children.
Tebow stressed that the issue is about people, not politics, specifically the boys and girls who are victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. Some may not understand the implications behind an explicit photograph or video, he said.
"It's not just images; it's not just videos," Tebow stated. "It's boys and girls that are in the worst moments of their life. And then people are celebrating it."
But the former NFL star said that his desire is for the Renewed Hope Act of 2024 to fill exploited children with the "faith, hope and love they deserve." He added that he loved the inclusion of the word "renewed" in the legislation, noting that the word means "to give someone the ability to flourish once more."
"Right now, as we're talking, they're crying," Tebow said. "So we better do more than talk. We better act because they're waiting."
In an interview with The Christian Post last month, Tebow said he felt called to speak on this issue because of his missionary father, Robert.
Years ago, Robert Tebow was preaching at an underground pastors' conference in a place of religious intolerance when he saw four girls for sale at an auction. He used all the money he had to buy the girls and purchase their freedom.
"And he called me afterward, and it's hard to explain," Tebow said. "I just knew that this is one of the areas that we've been called into and that I knew I was called into. And that we had to step up and stand up for those four and the rest like those sweet, poor girls."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
